Do you Actually know the Band?

“You are uncultured.”

If you don’t know a band or song from a certain era, sometimes people may judge. 

It is a clothing trend to have bands like Metallica, Pink Floyd, or ACDC printed onto t-shirts. When young people buy them, they don’t even think about the fact that they may not even know who the band is. 

Adults that were fans when bands were in their prime sometimes get frustrated when kids are repping them without knowing who they are.  

Allison Knoll, the drama teacher at LHS, feels sad when she sees students not knowing what´s on their shirts because they are usually missing out on fantastic bands. She sometimes quizzes students, and it’s a 50 / 50 shot they know anything about that given band. 

“If you are going to take the time to buy a shirt, at least google the band. That goes for anything that might be foreign to you, so you know what your outfit represents.” Knoll said. 

For fans of a band, they might get frustrated when they see fan imposters. 

Aspen Lawson is the opposite. She doesn’t feel frustrated when she sees students wearing band shirts for style. She was wearing an ACDC shirt when I interviewed her and easily named various songs by them. 

“I personally wear this shirt because it reflects my music taste, so I am showing my support to the band… it’s interesting that people think it’s fashionable to wear a shirt with an unknown band on it,” Aspen said.

Some may fail, and some may pass the song test.

Ella Haug, a junior at LHS, was wearing a shirt with Nirvana across it. When I asked her if she knew any songs by them, she could not name one. T-shirts like this are in style and can be found in many high-end stores such as Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, etc. 

“It’s cute, so I don’t care what is on it,” said Haug. 

Whether wearing a band shirt for style or showing support to a liked band, students throughout Lakeland are seen wearing them daily. 

I personally wear and buy a shirt if it is cute, no matter what is on the front of it. I might research what is on the front of it, but 95 percent of the time, I could care less. I feel awkward when an adult tests me on my knowledge, and I usually fail.